USWNT: Horan, Girma, Naeher named to Best FIFA Women's 11; Hayes named Coach of Year
12/17/2024 01:30 PM
Four members of the U.S. women’s national team earned major international achievements on Tuesday.
Lindsey Horan, Naomi Girma, and Alyssa Naeher were named to The Best FIFA Women’s 11 while head coach Emma Hayes was named FIFA Women's Coach of the Year for 2024. All four women were influential in the USWNT capturing the Gold Medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in France.
Naeher had previously been named The Best FIFA Women's Goalkeeper for 2024, while Hayes was named as the Women's Soccer Coach of the Year at the Ballon d’Or awards.
"We really appreciate the joy and energy Emma has brought to the team and U.S. Soccer," said U.S. Soccer CEO and Secretary General JT Batson. "Emma's dedication to our players, staff and everyone who cares about soccer in the United States is inspirational and she is so deserving of this award."
Hayes coached her first USWNT matches last June and has yet to suffer a defeat in her new role. It is the fourth time that a USWNT head coach has been named The Best FIFA Women's Coach.
"It's been an amazing year on many levels, but my overriding emotion is gratitude," said Hayes. "I want to thank everyone who has been on this journey with us, especially the players, coaches and staff from Chelsea and the USWNT. In the middle of 2023, I never thought I would be sitting here as part of a gold medal-winning team, but I've loved working with the players and I'm very excited about 2025 and executing our WNT strategy. It's going to be an exciting time for the players as we continue to build on what we accomplished in 2024."
Girma, 24, was the only USWNT field player to play all 600 minutes at the Olympic Games. The young defender featured in all 18 USWNT games this year, leading a USWNT defense that allowed just 12 goals throughout all competitions.
The 30-year-old Horan captained the USWNT to the gold medal in France and played 544 total minutes in the competition. She finished first on the USWNT in minutes played (1,804) this year, while contributing five goals with three assists.
Naeher, 36, is retiring from professional soccer after playing every minute of the 2024 Olympics. She became the first goalkeeper in women's soccer history to keep clean sheets in both a World Cup Final and an Olympic Final. Naeher allowed only two goals in the Olympics.
The USWNT will be back in action next February for the 2025 SheBelieves Cup on home soil.
